‘Excessive interference’: Supreme Court orders husband to live with wife, daughter, separately from parents

THe sublime margaret court has ordered a adult male to unrecorded separately from his parents and with his married woman and daughter, observing that excessive influence and interference from his parents appeared to be the root cause of marital conflict. The court said that the arrangement was necessary to help the couple rebuild their relationship.A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, in an order passed last week, noted that “the husband is in complete control of his parents and is unable to take any independent decision,” which had resulted in the wife feeling ignored along with their nine-year-old daughter.“Prima facie, the root cause of disputes in the matrimonial life of the couple seems to be the interference of the parents of the husband,” held the bench after interacting with all family members.“The husband, wife and their daughter shall start residing separately on the first floor of the house… This is our order. The husband cannot say that he would not shift to the first floor,” it directed.The court was hearing an appeal against an order issued by the Chhattisgarh High Court last year in a case filed by the wife, seeking maintenance. The woman had also alleged ill-treatment, harassment and assault by the husband and his family, resulting into separate proceedings pertaining to divorce and domestic violence.The direction came after the court held a detailed interaction with the husband, wife, the husband’s mother, the wife’s parents, and their daughter, in the committee room of the Supreme Court. The court noted that the child aged nine and studying in Class 4, appeared to be a “bright girl”.The man was represented by advocate Padmesh Mishra.Emphasising reconciliation, the bench ordered that the arrangement of separate residence must continue for at least three months. It further clarified that if the wife’s parents wished to meet their granddaughter, they were free to visit the house.At the same time, the court expressed expectations of mutual respect between family members, directing that the wife should take care of her in-laws if they fall sick or require daily help, even while residing separately. “We also expect the wife to take care of her in-laws in case they fall sick or any other domestic help is required on a day-to-day basis,” stated the order.During their interaction, the bench said that they were “taken aback” to learn that the wife was pregnant, stressing that the husband must ensure complete medical care, including regular visits to the gynaecologist, and that no trouble should arise from her in-laws.The order also noted that all civil and criminal proceedings between the parties will remain stayed till the next hearing. The wife’s parents and brothers have been directed to ensure they do not create trouble in the marital life of the couple.The matter will be taken up again on April 8, 2026, with the parties directed to appear in person, except the wife, whose personal appearance has been exempted due to her pregnancy.“We expect the parties to abide by our order and not create any further trouble for each other,” said the bench, adding that the couple and extended families had broadly agreed to the arrangement.The court stressed that the order was driven by the welfare of the couple and the children, rather than by adversarial litigation.In its concluding direction, the bench said it expected the husband to take “utmost care” of the wife during pregnancy.